Punch
by KidOfManyThings
Summary: The BAU is sent to interrogate the Joker after he is apprehended. What they don't know is that once upon a time, a boy named Jack Napier lived in Las Vegas. A misunderstood genius, unrivaled by any other-except one. His best friend, Spencer Reid.
1. Punch

Spencer walked into the interrogation room.

The Joker, sitting at the table, didn't look up until he stood in front of him. He tilted his head up slightly as he looked at Spencer.

He gave a soft grin, unlike his previously insane smiles, and said, quietly, "Hey."

Behind the two-way mirror, Hotch looked at Spencer, then at the Joker, then back to Spencer.

Spencer stared hard at the Joker, his hands slightly clenched, and his lower lip quivering almost unnoticeably.

_*CRACK!*_

Joker's head snapped backwards as Spencer delivered a right hook to his face, smearing his makeup.

"Okay, I deserved that one." Said the Joker, grinning again, now slightly more manically.

"Shut up. Shut. _Up_. Jack, you…you…" Spencer punched him again, this time with less force, if only slightly. Spencer's voice was choked, like he was about to cry. His hands shook with emotion.

"You're angry." Joker said, ignoring the fact that he'd just been punched.

"_Damn right_ I'm angry. I just-_just_…What did you _expect_ me to do, Jack, I mean-_God_, what have you gotten yourself _into_? What've you gotten _me_ into? I can't just come and bail you out anymore, Jack, we're not kids anymore, this isn't like…like stealing beer or cigarettes or getting caught spray painting the principal's car or smashing up lockers or-or _whatever_, okay? This is-this is _serious_, Jack, and you can't just sit there grinning at me like-like the frikin' _Cheshire Cat_, you just…Argh!" Spencer threw up his hands before punching the Joker yet again. Then he pulled out a chair and sank into it across from the Joker.

"I love you too, Spenny. " Said the Joker with an amused grin.

"Don't call me that." Said Spencer in a weary voice, sighing.


	2. Phone Call

Thank you to all the people who added Punch to their Story Alerts, and to PinkHimeLacus for the review. In response to you, here is some Morgan screen time. I know, it's not much, but this was a quickie chapter. Speaking of quickie chapters, so was the last one. The idea is one I've been toying with for a while, but never got around to writing. One day, I had some free time, and the story just came to life before I knew it, and I just had to publish it, even though I had pretty much abandoned publishing fics years ago, after actually looking at my stories. Horribly written. Atrocious spelling/grammar. Blatant MarySue-esque SI, too many inside jokes, not a well thought-out plot. I shall now try to keep myself out of my own stories, and instead restrain my superpowered time/dimension travelling alter ego who's actually intertwined into the backstories of all fictional realities to my daydreams, as fun as it is to teach 6-year old Voldemort how to play poker. (Don't ask.) So here's the next bit of what will hopefully become a decent story. (I'm praying that the line breaks work this time.)

- 10 minutes ago -

"I want my phone call."

"Fine. Make it quick."

*Ringring* *Ringring*

"Hello?"

Spencer answered his phone from the backseat as Hotch drove towards the Gotham Police Station. A voice crackled on the other end. Morgan could make out only some of the words.

"_Don't hang up, this is my only call."_

Spencer sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's been how many years, and _I'm_ your one phone call?" He snorted sarcastically at the unintelligible response. "Right. Do I even _want_ to know how you got my cell number?"

"_Probably not."_

Morgan cut in. "Reid, who is that?" He asked, wondering if he should be concerned.

"An old friend of mine. Don't worry, it's fine." Spencer reassured him.

"_So I've been demoted to 'old friend' now? You wound me."_ Said the person on the other end, hearing the conversation.

"Don't worry, I was headed that way anyway. See you later." Said Spencer, hanging up before the man could respond. Suddenly he let out a sigh. "It's always him isn't it?" He asked himself out loud.

Morgan was definitely concerned now. "Reid, should I be-"

"It's nothing, okay?" Spencer cut him off with an angry edge. He sighed again. "Sorry. It's not you I'm mad at, it's him."

"Reid, really-"

"We're here." Declared Hotch. Turning around, he looked at Spencer. "And I expect an explanation later."

"You'll get one, soon, I promise. It's just…complicated, though."


	3. Plan

I'd like to thank everyone who's read, reviewed, added this to their favorites and/or story alerts, or any combination of the above for their support, encouragement, constructive criticism, and occasional virtual hugs, Monty Python references, or outright orders to write, all of which make me smile and laugh and give me that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I feel that I cannot ever apologize enough for being so undependable with my updates but I ask that you all be patient with me as I assure you this story is not forgotten. Slowly but surely it is being written, just not necessarily in order. Mostly what I have written are flashbacks I've prepared that showed hints and foreshadowing of Jack's role in Spencer's past. Also, as Thundarr the Barbarian pointed out, yes, in the Dark Knight-verse the Joker's true identity is unknown, and the idea of the Joker being Jack Napier is from another Batverse. However, for this story to work I needed a name for him, even if his identity won't quite match up with any Batman canon. I've been taking artistic license with this Jack and so bits and pieces of him may be identifiable from various aspects of Batman mythos, but on a whole I hope he'll be distinct from other Jokers – his own man. Thank you all, and now on to a new installment of Punch!

* * *

Spencer sighed. "Why did you do it, Jack?" He asked, the sudden burst of fury gone as quickly as it came.

The Joker laughed. "Really? Again with this, heh, asking me why I do things? I thought we'd, uh, established that a long time ago."

"Then say it again, for the cameras." Spencer shrugged. "You love telling people about it."

"You know me too well, Spencer. Alright then. Ask me." He grinned madly, barely keeping himself from doing a drumroll on the table.

Spencer looked at him long and hard. "Why kidnap Harvey Dent, Jack? What does it accomplish? What's your plan?" He questioned.

The Joker – Jack – licked his lips, feeling his scars. "Do I _really_ look like a guy with a _plan_? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. I just, you know…_do things_. It's _other_ people who have plans."

Spencer nodded. "The Plan. I know."

Jack grinned. "Yup," He replied, popping the 'p', "Everyone, everywhere, they're all following the Plan, even if they're too, too _stupid_ to see it for what it is. The _order_ they all try and put in the world, trying to control their pathetic little lives. But that'll never work."

Spencer repeated what he'd heard Jack say a million times. "Control comes from power, power, from fear, and fear, from chaos. Upsetting the order. Fighting the Plan."

Jack smiled at him warmly. "Exactly. He who spreads chaos has control. Good to see you were listening. Introduce a little _anarchy_, upset the established order, and everything becomes _chaos_. I, am an Agent of Chaos. And you know the thing about chaos?" He asked, leaning forward slightly.

"What?" Said Spencer, expecting what was to come, but being slightly surprised.

"It's easy." He licked at his scars again, "The way things are, it's like…it's like a house of cards," He said, "It only takes the slightest breeze, the tiniest vibration, to send it all _toppling down_."

He laughed then, a mad laugh that sent chills down the spines of everyone watching.

Everyone, that is, except Spencer Reid.

He sighed slightly, and reached out to flick the Joker in the nose.

"Hey!" The madman cried indignantly.

"Stop that." Said Spencer dismissively.

The Joker pouted.

"That is a new analogy, though. House of cards. When'd you come up with that one?" Reid asked casually.

"Not sure. Few months ago, maybe."

"Right. Well, I think they're getting impatient and probably want answers out of both of us now, so – " Spencer was cut off by the door opening and Morgan practically dragging him out of the room. Behind him, he heard Jack call "Give 'em hell!" as Gordon took his place at the table.


	4. People

Ask (Or cheerily threaten death through creative means, thank you Prof, I will never tire of that.) and ye shall receive. I seem to be somewhat on a roll. Let's hope it continues. And GothChiq, I'm glad you like their interactions. The familiarity between them is something I'm trying to highlight. MonCheri, I will try to make the chapters longer and move past the endless conversations, but when I do hit inspiration I try and make sure I get it up and out quickly before it rots inside my brain, and I find that conversations are an easy way to convey things. Right now a lot of the story is conversation, but when something does happen I hope it'll be radical enough to make up for the wait. Thank you for your constructive contribution. And Katt-chan, fantastic Katt-chan, yes, it seems like forever since I first incubated this little chicken egg of an idea underneath a toad, but now it's hatched into a basilisk and is growing (Hopefully) fast and if I'm lucky there will be no meddling kids around to slay it. I have plans for that picture, so worry not dear readers as you will eventually figure out what I'm talking about, but it might take a bit. However it will be up sooner than originally planned as I've decided that the plot structure will not be completely linear. Instead, some chapters will be flashbacks to Jack and Spencer's 'golden days', as they were, and I'll show a few scenes of slightly-altered canon. (Altered to include Jack-related material, of course. Feel free to mentally insert any time you watch the episodes.) Although I can't have the story's plot made completely non-confusing. Just try to fit together the puzzle pieces and think laterally. Well, I'll stop rambling now and let you all move on to yet another chapter of Punch!

* * *

Morgan pulled him into the interrogation viewing room. "What the hell was that, kid?"

Hotch was borderline-glaring at him. The Gotham cops in the room were staring outright in anger, bewilderment, distrust, and possibly fear. "Reid. Explanation. Now."

Spencer sighed and ran his hand through his hair in weary nervousness. "Right. Well, I did promise an explanation. I said it was complicated, didn't I?"

A Gotham cop glared at him as though Spencer had killed six of his friends. "Nothing all that complicated about it, is there?" He spat venomously, "Obviously, you're in league with that-that insane, homicidal, _monster_!"

Spencer Reid exploded.

"That _monster_, as you call him, was one of the best friends I ever had! He saved my life at least a half a dozen times, at insane risk and cost to himself! He was _brilliant_, and – and courageous, and kind, and loyal _to a fault_," He shouted, "And he made a point out of protecting the weak and making the best he could out of the _horrific_ hands life dealt him, and if he's a _monster_ now than it is because _spiteful_ people like you have made him that way!" He finished, almost panting for breath, and glared around the room, waiting for someone to try and contradict him.

The officer spoke again, "Look, whatever he was before, you've seen what he is now. Everyone's seen the destruction he's caused. He killed six of my friends. People change."

Spencer took a seat at a table covered in papers on 'The Joker Case', as they were calling it. He scanned the papers on top briefly as thoughts churned in his mind. "People do change, sometimes." He said, "And I'm sorry about your friends." He looked up, "But I can still see _my_ friend in there," He motioned vaguely to the interrogation room, "Behind the war paint."

"War paint?" Hotch questioned. The team had begun to gather around the table, and a few men had filed out of the room. The majority of the situation was over, and now the BAU team was setting up to do their job.

Spencer shrugged. "That's what he sees it as. He's waging war. On order, on the Plan." He looked up, "In his own way, he's fighting corruption."

Hotch sat down. "Reid, you're involved in this. That can be an asset, as you obviously know him and how he works better than anyone, but I can't risk you compromising this case, this _team_. If you're going to become _too_ involved I _will_ take you off the case and out of the field. Understand?" He was firm and no-nonsense.

"Yes." Spencer sighed.

"Good," Said Hotch, "Now. Since you've made it clear you know him, you can provide a history for us. Starting with a name."

Morgan nodded at him. "Talk to us kid. Tell us how you know him."

Spencer was resigned. He knew his coworkers – No, _friends_, he reminded himself – would find out eventually about Jack. After all, he thought, Jack had a way of weaving himself into every story. "His name is Jack Napier," He heard himself saying, "And we met in the fall of 1991. I was a few months short of ten, and had just entered high school…"


End file.
